Bryon Noem has spoken publicly about his impending divorce from Kristi Noem, the former Department of Homeland Security secretary.
“Bryon is saddened that the marriage is ending and hopes for a private and amicable resolution,” the 56-year-old said in a statement released through his attorney, Tim Bottum.
“If court proceedings become necessary, Bryon will welcome the opportunity to truthfully share his perspective. Bryon’s priority is to protect the family and move forward as loving parents and grandparents.”
The statement followed confirmation late Monday that Kristi, 54, was ending her 34-year marriage to Bryon.
Divorce papers citing “irreconcilable differences” were prepared on April 6, six days after a Daily Mail report detailed Bryon’s online activity, including his use of women’s clothing while communicating with adult models.
Bryon accepted service of the papers on April 8. However, the documents were not filed with the Hamlin County Circuit Court in Kristi’s home state of South Dakota until Monday morning.
The filing came after Kristi’s mother, Corrine Arnold, 78, told the Daily Mail in July that her daughter had hired an attorney and begun divorce proceedings.
“I feel bad, sick that they’re getting a divorce, but what else can you do?” Corrine said. “The way that I brought up my kids, I know that they don’t just jump into big decisions.”
Bryon Noem has issued a statement about his impending divorce from Kristi Noem, saying he is “saddened that the marriage is ending.”
Daily Mail photos brought attention to Bryon’s private online persona, including images of him wearing women’s clothing and exaggerated prosthetic breasts.
“It took a long time for her to figure it out.”
Rapid City law firm Loos, Sabers & Smith said Kristi would not comment publicly on the separation.
“Kristi Noem has filed for the dissolution of her marriage to Bryon Noem,” the firm said in a statement.
“She has great faith in the South Dakota judicial system and will reserve any further comments for the legal process.”
Kristi filed for divorce on the basis of “irreconcilable differences,” a designation that does not assign blame to either spouse.
The two-page filing states that, if the couple cannot reach a settlement, she “reserves the right to amend the Complaint to assert additional fact-based grounds for divorce.”
Potential grounds listed in the filing include adultery, extreme cruelty, willful desertion, willful neglect, habitual intemperance and a felony conviction.
The divorce news emerged weeks after Kristi left her DHS position in March and the Daily Mail published photos showing Bryon in tight pink shorts and a flesh-colored crop top over large prosthetic breasts.
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The reporting also described his online conversations with several women involved in the “bimbofication” scene, a fetish subculture associated with exaggerated, Barbie-inspired aesthetics.
Bryon, shown supporting Kristi during a congressional hearing in March, has been married to her since 1992.
Bryon, pictured above taking out the trash just after days after the Daily Mail exposed his fetish pics, said he welcomes the chance to tell his side of the story in court as the divorce proceedings get underway
Bryon’s secret double life was exposed when the Daily Mail published photos of him posing with massive fake books and tight pink shorts
Bryon had sent at least $25,000 to his various busty babes and promised to make one his bimbo bride.
Another model said she worked out who he was after accidentally calling him and hearing a voicemail greeting for Noem Insurance, Bryon’s business.
A spokesman for Kristi at the time said she was ‘devastated’ and that the family had been ‘blindsided’ by the revelations.
President Donald Trump reacted to the Daily Mail’s revelations with shock: ‘Wow, well, I feel badly for the family if that’s the case, that’s too bad.’
By July, Bryon had left the couple’s home in Castlewood, South Dakota, and was living about 20 miles away.
Kristi and insurance mogul Bryon wed in 1992 and have three children: Kassidy, 31, Kennedy, 29, and Booker, 23.
Kristi, pictured over the weekend attending the Buffalo Roundup in Custer, South Dakota, filed for divorce after 34 years of marriage
Kristi and insurance mogul Bryon married in 1992 but their marriage has been dogged for years by reports that the petite pol was having an alleged affair with her longtime adviser Corey Lewandowski (pictured above)
But their marriage has been dogged for years by reports that the petite pol was having an alleged affair with her longtime adviser Corey Lewandowski.
Kristi, now US Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, and Lewandowski have long denied affair allegations, which were first reported by the Daily Mail in September 2023.
We have published ample evidence of their close relationship since then, including photographs of the pair enjoying a cozy lunch date in August in Minnesota.
Sources described them as ‘closer than ever.’ One said: ‘Whatever the future holds, they are devoted to one another.’
During a congressional hearing in March, shortly before her removal, Kristi refused to say under oath whether she had an affair with Lewandowski.
Bryon, who was there to support his wife while she was grilled over the deaths of several US citizens who were killed while protesting ICE, sat stone-faced behind her.